Instead, the 40-year-old fears her husband’s death was linked to a lawsuit he filed against local police in February. Dennoriss Richardson, who coached kids in baseball and soccer, claimed he was assaulted, denied medical attention, tear gassed and shocked with a Taser while in prison.

Leigh Richardson said she is not accusing any particular person, but is adamant her husband did not commit suicide.

She is not alone in her belief. Widespread skepticism about Richardson’s death underscores the deep distrust of local law enforcement in Colbert County. In a region where the hanging invokes a long history of state-sanctioned lynchings of black people, county residents support a pattern of excessive force among local law enforcement.

Sheriff Eric Balentine, who confirmed the FBI had accepted his request to investigate, said his department had “exhausted all resources” in its investigation.

“We feel confident in what our findings were, but we feel that by doing this we can give the family more peace of mind,” Balentine said.

A spokesman for the FBI’s Birmingham field office confirmed that the FBI is aware of Dennoriss Richardson’s death and is looking into allegations of criminal misconduct.

Tori Bailey, president of the local NAACP chapter and the only black member of Colbert County’s six-person county commission, said the community’s reaction to Richardson’s death was partly informed by the region’s painful history with lynchings.

In Alabama, there were 359 reported lynchings between 1877 and 1943, according to the Equal Justice Initiative, a nonprofit criminal justice reform organization. There were 11 in Colbert County alone.

Bailey said that while there may be nothing to the allegations, it makes sense that the community would have a “visceral” reaction to the hanging of a black man and want a more thorough investigation. She said that while some officers try to do the right thing, in her 12 years as president of the NAACP she has documented and investigated many cases of excessive force in the county.

“There has long been a kind of disconnect between communities of color and law enforcement. Unfortunately, many of us don’t feel that law enforcement is actually there to serve and protect,” Bailey said.

Marvin Long, a 57-year-old black man and lifelong Colbert County resident, knew Dennoriss Richardson’s family well growing up. He shares skepticism about the suicide ruling and said Richardson’s death heightened his fear of retaliation.

“To this day I hate seeing a police car,” Long said. “I’m still more scared now than ever.”

Long sued the Sheffield Police Department last year. After he asked about an unrelated arrest that took place just outside his property in 2021, body camera footage appears to show officers chasing Long to his home, dragging him down the front porch steps and assaulting him. police K9 on him as he screams for help. Long was unarmed, according to the complaint.

Richardson and Long are among five black and Latino men represented by civil rights attorney Roderick Van Daniel who have filed lawsuits against the department in recent years.

“Citizens live in fear of retaliation,” Van Daniel said.

In one case, an off-duty Sheffield police officer was caught on surveillance footage hitting and shooting a black man in a liquor store. The officer was later convicted of assault and battery and reckless endangerment. He was fired from the department.

In a separate lawsuit, a 57-year-old chiropractor claims he was Tasered 18 times while handcuffed after he asked an officer to help him find his wife’s iPhone. Photos included in the suit show several large burn marks believed to be from the attack.

The Sheffield Police Department did not respond to numerous phone calls and emails seeking comment. Attorneys for the officers named in the pending lawsuits did not respond to emails.

Balentine, the 2023 sheriff, declined to comment on specific cases. But he said based on his nearly 30 years as an officer in the area, he believed Colbert County residents generally trusted law enforcement.

“If it turns out that it was excessive, then I’m sure there will be accountability,” he said.

Still, Balentine said he hopes the FBI investigation will help alleviate concerns.

“Transparency is always a good way to mend some fences with the community,” he said.

Leigh Richardson had known her husband since she was 17 years old. She remembers Dennoriss, affectionately known as “Na-Na,” as a warm father to their five children. But she also said his fear of the police is not new.

“He was scared at that young age,” Richardson said.

Richardson said that after she filed the lawsuit, her husband was frequently stopped by police. During those months, he was “trying to stay off the road,” she said.

Sheffield Mayor Steve Stanley said Dennoriss Richardson had come to his office at least once to express concerns about being profiled. Stanley said he assured Richardson that any officers reported through official channels would be investigated.

The Sheffield Police Department would not confirm if or how often the department stopped Richardson.

Court records show that Dennoriss Richardson had a long history of run-ins with local law enforcement, but most of the charges in federal and state courts did not stick.

Dennoriss Richardson pleaded guilty to drug possession in 2006 and was sentenced to five years in prison. In the more than 15 years since then, court records show Richardson has been arrested at least six additional times by the Sheffield Police Department on charges ranging from disorderly conduct to robbery to assault.

None of those charges, except for a traffic violation for expired tags, resulted in a conviction, according to available court records.

The same week that Richardson filed his lawsuit against the department, he was charged with trafficking meth. He was arrested in a house where drugs were allegedly found. Richardson was on bail when he died.

Stanley said he strongly supports holding officers accountable for wrongdoing, but emphasized his overwhelming confidence in them.

“I’ve preached and I think most officers, at least, recognize that everybody deserves respect,” Stanley said.

However, amid the looming investigation, uncertainty prevails in the community.

In early October, Richardson’s friends and family filled the pews of the small Trinity Memorial Funeral Home to commemorate his life. Singing and sermons were punctuated by calls for justice.

On the stand, Van Daniel, Richardson’s attorney, said Richardson “believed in transparency and accountability. He stood up against police misconduct.”

There was a steady chorus of “amens” from the crowd as Van Daniel spoke.

“His family and the Sheffield community deserve answers,” he said. “We deserve answers.”

This story includes discussion of suicide. If you or someone you know needs help, the US National Suicide and Crisis Helpline is available by calling or texting 988.